Phil Hay: Why Leeds United re-signing Swansea centre-back Bartley would be a '˜no-brainer'

Bartley’s time on loan at Elland Road cast him as a lynchpin in the centre of their defence. Twelve months without him have served only to accentuate his influence.

He is held in high regard at Leeds but this time last year he was allowed to return to Swansea City without much of a fight.

Swansea, where Bartley previously struggled for games, took note of his form in Yorkshire and set about handing him an improved contract but Leeds, peculiarly, chose not to test the water. There were no enquiries and no bids and in early August, Bartley signed a four-year deal.

In absentia, the 26-year-old’s reputation in these parts has held. With a regular centre-back pairing of Bartley and Pontus Jansson last season, Leeds conceded at a rate of one goal a game. Minus Bartley, and with no continuity in their defence, they have shipped 17 more with one game to play.

There were cracks in the relationship between Bartley and Jansson latterly, at a time when United’s form under Garry Monk fell apart, but they were as effective a partnership as the Championship could offer. Monk, who knew Bartley from Swansea, said the loan at Leeds was “by far the best I’ve seen Kyle play.”

Bartley’s salary at Swansea is comfortably in excess of the current £15,000-a-week limit at Elland Road but United intend to increase that threshold by cutting players from their wage bill during the summer transfer window. The club are confident of meeting Swansea’s valuation of Bartley, despite his contract running to 2021.

His year at Elland Road, in which he started all but one of United’s Championship fixtures, forced him back into the picture at the Liberty Stadium but circumstances have worked against him.

The management team of Paul Clement and Nigel Gibbs, who rated Bartley highly, were sacked in December and replaced by Carlos Carvalhal. Bartley has barely featured in the Premier League since. Prior to that, a knee ligament injury suffered in a League Cup tie against MK Dons forced him to undergo surgery in September. His recovery took four months and Swansea revealed yesterday that he is back on the sidelines with further ligament damage.

In all, he has played 12 times this season – predominantly in knockout competitions – and Swansea will consider offers for him if they retain their place in the Premier League.

That status, however, is far from secure with three games to go. Carvalhal’s side are one point above the relegation zone and play two of the clubs inside the bottom three, Southampton and Stoke City, in their final two games. They last registered a win on the first weekend of March.

While Swansea would relinquish Bartley from the top flight, his year with Leeds showed him to a be an accomplished Championship defender. United expect the Welsh club to keep Bartley if relegation materialises and Leeds are equally aware that other sides in the second tier have more financial clout than they. Bartley, though, is understood to be keen to return to United and there is quiet optimism at Elland Road that they could make a compelling start to the transfer window by bringing him back.

Bartley spoke after his last home appearance for Leeds, a 3-3 draw with Norwich City in April 2017, about the affinity he had established with the club.

“I’ve said many times this season that I’ve loved every minute here,” he said. “It’s been a fantastic club for me. The fans have been great, the staff have been great and the players are fantastic.”

In the four months that followed those comments, the squad’s spine broke up. Bartley returned to Swansea, Monk resigned as head coach, striker Chris Wood was sold to Burnley and goalkeeper Rob Green departed for Huddersfield Town.

Bartley departed with a warning about the need to nurture the progress seen under Monk. “The summer is massive for Leeds and the owners need to show their intent,” he said. “If they do that it will be onwards and upwards. If they don’t, on their heads be it.”

Leeds, having made his point for him with a depressing slide into mid-table, are underlining it further by making another play for his signature. A statement of intent is what the club need with their stock so low and the credibility of their owner, Andrea Radrizzani, on the wain.

Other deals are being looked at – head coach Paul Heckingbottom is interested in out-of-contract Barnsley full-back Andy Yiadom and Swansea striker Oli McBurnie, currently on loan at Oakwell – but Bartley would fall into the marquee category, a signing which would imply that Leeds have digested and confronted the errors made in Radrizzani’s first summer transfer window.

Jansson’s future is again the subject of speculation after recent links to West Ham United and Burnley, and the Swede will have the exposure of a trip to the World Cup in June.

But he has not been the bombastic presence he was with Bartley alongside him and no other centre-back has come close to matching Bartley’s aerial presence.

Provided Bartley’s latest knee injury does not give Leeds cold feet, it is the proverbial no-brainer and an obvious place to start.